Air Partner looks back on a year of sporting achievement

Air Partner, the leading global aviation services group, enjoyed an action-packed 2016 in the sports industry, with the European team alone transporting a total of over 21,400 passengers on over 350 flights to 130 destinations globally.

From the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro to the Euros in France, 2016 was a particularly eventful year in the sporting world. Air Partner’s Commercial Jets, Private Jets and Freight divisions all experienced high demand from a range of clients across the sports arena, including football, rugby, Formula 1, golf, sailing, cycling, athletics, handball and even ice hockey.

The Commercial Jets team was kept incredibly busy, transporting teams, supporters and the media to and from various key calendar events: all in all, the team arranged an impressive 250 flights for over 21,000 passengers. Highlights include transporting the entire Hungarian Olympic team to Rio, as well as flying four national teams around France during Euro 2016.

Air Partner’s Private Jets team also had a successful year, arranging a total of over 100 flights for over 400 passengers for clients within the sports industry. Passengers included prominent athletes, footballers and other sportspeople – as well as their all-important managers – with the strongest demand coming from football and golf clients.

Meanwhile, the Freight division was tasked with transporting important sports equipment, such as bikes and other kit for cyclists taking part in the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s most prestigious bike race. The team also fulfilled a number of time critical requests, including the urgent lift of a spare part to a client in time for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

By flying with Air Partner, the group’s sporting clients can work to their own schedule, save valuable time, and travel in comfort and style. By avoiding queues at check-in and flying to the airports closest to the competition venue, sportspeople are able to avoid unnecessary fatigue and hassle. Air Partner always goes the extra mile for its sports clients, ensuring that catering is in line with athletes’ requirements and all other needs are met – whatever these may be. What’s more, the group also offers a CharterPLUS guarantee, so if there is ever a technical issue, Air Partner will ensure there is a replacement aircraft ready, with no fuss and no hassle, to make sure that passengers make it to their event in time.

Clive Chalmers, Air Partner’s Director of Commercial Jets UK, commented: “Air Partner has worked with the sports industry for several decades now and has an in-depth understanding of the travel needs of elite sportspeople and their teams. Whether it is arranging tailored on-board catering suitable for athletes or organising private VIP channels at the airport, our team knows how to make sure that our sporting clients get the best possible experience.”